Tesco Bank has underlined its rapid expansion in Scotland with the purchase of a 'second headquarter' building in Edinburgh from tycoon Sir David Murray.

The move is expected to result in the creation of hundreds of jobs in the Scottish capital as Tesco fuels its growth ambitions.

The bank would only say said the new office will provide "further growth opportunities in the coming years".

It declined to say how many jobs will be housed in the 97,000 sq ft building - known as EHQ in the South Gyle area of the city - but property experts say an office of that size could house up to a thousand people.

The property was bought from Murray's property group PPG for an undisclosed sum.

Since deciding to base its headquarters in Scotland Tesco Bank has been rapidly expanding. Currently it employs 1,000 full-time staff and an army of between 500-700 contractors working on fully divesting the bank from RBS.

Benny Higgins, chief executive, said: "Since establishing our headquarters in Edinburgh last year and opening a new office in Glasgow this year, we have already grown to have over 1,000 permanent members of staff north of the border and we are currently recruiting for a wide range of roles across our offices.

"The quality of the applicants we have received for the roles we have been creating are testament to the depth and breadth of financial services talent across Scotland.

"As we continue to build the business and develop new product offerings for our customers, this second headquarter office in Edinburgh will provide us with the flexibility and capacity to support our long term growth."